It’s been well-documented how American has shrunk in Chicago since the pandemic, but how many of you know how that impacts O’Hare’s Airline Use and Lease Agreement (AULA) signed in 2018? Yeah, me neither… until now. And things are about to get interesting as United says it is going to get six more gates later this year thanks to those lease terms. The thing this, this gate allocation process is a complete mess, and it sets things up to ping pong around in a disruptive way for years to come.
Back in 2018, the long-term signatory airlines at the airport agreed that every year, O’Hare would re-balance its gates if one of two things happened by February 1 of each year. This process was delayed during the pandemic, but it’s happening now. These are the two things that can trigger a change:
- if O’Hare needs more common use gates (those which it can control and give space to airlines as needed)
- if a long-term signatory airline requests more preferential use gate space (those the airline controls)
As outlined in an internal email from United’s VP-ORD Omar Idris which I reviewed, the airline has requested more preferential use gates, and now the re-balancing process begins. To start, O’Hare will look at all 2024 departures operated using each airline’s preferential-use gates and calculate the departure market share. Common-use gates and the airlines using them are excluded from this process.
The first question is, who is a long-term signatory with preferential-use gates? A spokesperson from the Chicago Department of Aviation gave me a list of 19 long-term signatory airlines, but that includes long-dead Interjet and Swiss Air (which I assume means SWISS?), so who knows what to make of that. But of those airlines, only seven have preferential-use gates. The Significant Seven are:
- Air Canada – 2 preferential gates in Terminal 2 (E2 and E3)
- Alaska – 2 preferential gates in Terminal 2 (E15 and E17)
- American – around 60 to 70 preferential gates in Terminal 3
- Delta – 10 preferential gates in Terminal 5 (M2 through M11)
- JetBlue – 1 preferential gate in Terminal 3 (G2)
- Spirit – 4 preferential gates in Terminal 3 (L2C, L5, L7, and L10C)
- United – 88 preferential gates (all 51 in Terminal 1 and 37 in Terminal 2)
American’s gate count isn’t entirely clear to me, but it’s in that range. Also, my guess on Delta’s gate count is just that, a guess, based on usage since Delta never responded to my inquiry. For those who prefer visuals, here’s what it looks like as best I can tell.
Do keep in mind that this is definitely not perfectly right. When there is construction going on, gates move around. The gates on the north side of the L “stinger” at the north end of Terminal 3 are common-use, but American has preferential use of them while it has other gates down for construction. But listen… this is close enough.
Using the Significant Seven’s gates, I calculated departure share for 2024. Then, I have to multiply that by the “linear frontage” of the gate space to figure out how much needs to be allocated.
What the hell is “linear frontage”? Well, widebodies need more space than narrowbodies so a gate count itself isn’t entirely fair. Instead, the airport takes 100 feet out from the terminals and measures how much linear frontage each airline has in feet.
Here’s a map from the AULA from 2018 of what they thought it was going to look like once the new Delta gates opened in Terminal 5. It’s not right, but you can get a sense of what gets measured.
via ORD AULA
Is your head spinning? Mine too. But once they have this number, then they can start to divvy things up. United says that because it is flying about 52 percent of scheduled departures from 48 percent of gate frontage, it deserves six more gates. I built a model, and it shows the same thing, so I must be on the right track. My model shows where the gap lies.
Difference Between Departure Share and Linear Frontage Share 2024 (Est)
If we translate this into actual gate numbers, it shows that United should get six, and Spirit should get one. It also says American and Delta should each lose three while Alaska should lose one. This assumes that every preferential-use gateholder gets to keep at least one gate, otherwise Alaska and JetBlue would get nothing which seems unlikely.
BUT WAIT, even this may not be real because it’s entirely possible that the airport decides it needs to change its common-use gate needs. If it does, that would change the pool available for preferential-use when they re-balance.
I asked the Chicago Department of Aviation and they said nothing of note, just regurgitated the process. What we do know is that by April 1, the airport has to do the re-balancing and tell airlines what’s changing. Then the gates change hands on October 1.
But let’s pretend that common-use gates aren’t changing. If that’s true, then it seems obvious to me that United would take Alaska’s two gates in Terminal 2, finally taking all of Terminal 1 and 2 to itself (except for the two gates that are joint venture partner Air Canada’s). Then, United will have to spill over into Concourse G in Terminal 3 for the rest. It could take JetBlue’s gate G2 and then three more from American.
Since my calculation shows Alaska losing a gate, it could then move with JetBlue over to the L concourse. Those gates plus the new gate Spirit would gain can then all come from American’s current set of gates. American could then swap those three for the three currently common-use gates in the L stinger. Those three common-use gates could move over to Terminal 5 where Delta will lose three gates, completing the circle.
Here’s how that would look:
There’s also always the possibility that Air Canada moves to the G gates and United instead takes two more in Terminal 2, but that doesn’t really matter. You get the idea.
What DOES matter is that this is all a silly shell game anyway. Remember, the gates don’t change over until October 1, so United will only get to use those six gates for the last three months of the year. But when the process starts all over again next February? It looks at departure share for all of the previous year. That means United will not have the benefit of those six gates for the first nine months of data which skews things greatly. That means it could very well lose again next year even if it is ramping up. And the cycle will continue since the data will never include more than a quarter of a year with the most recent gate allocation.
So for now, it is a little premature for United to talk about this since we don’t know what the airport’s needs will be for common-use. That being said, it seems clear United will get something. Of course, in the end, it may be all for naught if it loses them based on 2025 usage numbers when the next round of re-balancing happens in 2026.
Everybody clear? Great. I’m gonna go get a drink now.
41 comments on “United Says It Grabs Six More Gates at O’Hare, But It’s Not Entirely Clear”
This sounds like the most Chicago thing ever. It takes forever, probably costs a ton and, in the end, provides no real value.
Sounds about right.
And what happens once the massive renovation project is completed & international flights move to terminal 2?
SEAN – Well, good thing we don’t have to worry about that for a long, long time. But that plan will put a lot more gates in Terminal 1 with the C extension and then new satelllite concourse. So the UA gates in T2 can move over there. Then United and American will use T2 for international arrivals which should free up more space in T5. How the allocation works, I have no idea, but I imagine there will be a new lease required by then.
Thanks, Cranky!
That’s pretty much already been decided. The new Global Terminal will be split between Star Alliance and oneworld airlines, with the status quo wrecking ball maintained in terms of United in Terminal 1 and American in Terminal 3. That fight will begin when actual work is done. Just to show you how far in the future people think that will be, United opened a second United Club in Terminal 2, the one that’s going to be demolished.
For aviation, it’s a very close second on the Most Chicago Thing Ever list behind Daley gutting Meigs under cover of night, in clear violation of federal law. But damn it’s close.
Oooooooh good point!
Since I was a kid learning to fly I’ve always had a bit of a secret fantasy about wanting to be the CEO of a big airport somewhere. No longer.
You can always play “Airport simulator” & get that same feeling. With a few attachments you can even simulate interactions with aircraft with real airline names. I saw it on YouTube.
Cranky,
Does MDW play the same gate game as ORD?
Angry Bob – I have absolutely no idea and I don’t have the energy to figure that out. But I would imagine it has to be a mix of Southwest have preferential use and then common use. There have been airlines that have gone in over the years and it hasn’t been an issue, so I imagine there’s just not enough demand to have to create something like this for that airport.
I can’t imagine it would? I’d guess Southwest has 90%+ of the gates there. Delta (last time I was there) used 3, Porter used 1, Volaris used 1. I can’t even think of where Frontier flies from. And I didn’t even realize that Allegiant (gross) was flying out of Midway. Oversharing, but I live in the South Loop and am a 22 minute Orange Line ride from MDW. Don’t care – I’ll deal with the hour to O’hare and happily fly United out of T1. Just a better experience. To call Midway “amateur hour” is being generous.
I hate Midway but love that quick commute on the Orange Line. I like O’Hare but hate that commute on the Blue Line, except in the rare occasions it doesn’t smell like smoke/urine/body odor and it runs on time with no extra stops. At MDW Frontier uses C gates, there’s only 3 gates at the end of that hall and barely enough seating for 1 gate. And, I guess unsurprisingly, they’re always trying to board two flights at the same time and it’s chaos.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard flying out of O’Hare called a Better Experience. lol At MDW I’m dropped off out front, have my boarding pass, through PreCheck and sitting at the gate in about 15 minutes, tops.
How long is that taking you at O’Hare? I think my usual similar experience takes about 10 minutes at ORD since you can skip that narrow cattle herd area midway calls security.
I remember SEA having a complicated gate allocation process also.
I am SO glad that UA has really boosted the destinations from DEN and that I no longer have to transit ORD regularly. Don’t miss the place at all!
When the hike from T1 to T2 first popped up it was a pain, but I can’t imagine making a tight connection from say C16 over to the G gates.
Early on it was mostly regional flights in T2 but mainline started going there a few years later so you never know if you’re getting your steps in all at once or not. And, yes, I know there is a shuttle bus, last I rode on it (pre-COVID) it was disgusting and infrequent.
ORD is not so bad – and living about 45 mins away, I find it much easier to deal with than the likes of DEN or (especially) ATL. True, if you land in the high E or F gates and have to run to a B or C gate, that can be a pain. For the most part, mainline UA uses T1 (B and C gates) and T2 is UA regionals (again, mostly) + AC….and the tiny corner of AS which is a moot point. If you’re familiar with the airport, you actually find that getting between T1 and T2 isn’t as bad as it seems and is all airside. It probably seems rough if you’re unfamiliar but in reality it doesn’t take that much time. I find transiting IAH, DEN or EWR to be far more challenging. Not to mention (when on AA) the nightmare of 30 minute runs known as MIA.
You should only need the shuttle to get to T5 which is not connected…..but the people mover (light rail) is operating now so that helps. It is, however, landside. Connecting from T5 to anywhere else does suck, I’ll admit that.
It’s all about creating a monopoly.
There should be no dedicated gates.
Free market…
No dedicated gates? How would that work???
At ORD? LAX? JFK? ATL? DFW? DEN? Etc….?
Cranky, Thanks for the analysis, after I saw this announcement I was looking for some additional information. A few things, if I remember correctly Delta got 9 gates a T5 but this was went they moved and I don’t a link to reference. Did United lose any gates in the low C’s as part of the start of construction? I know they have 3 gates that looks like you walk a mile to get to the airplane.
Also, I have been wondering what happens with gate allocation when construction of the main terminal 2 begins as the number of gates in satellite 1 will not replace the number of gates lost in the old terminal 2.
SEA J – Did Delta get 9? I was just looking at the gates that it actually used, but maybe the 10th one was common use. Like I mentioned in the post, Delta did not respond to me so I was kind of flying blind there. Either way, they should lose 3 if this holds up.
As for gates, yeah, construction is a mess. I know that American has lost some gates in construction but the airport made up for it by giving them common use gates temporarily in the L stinger. So presumably United is getting gates to use during construction as well. The airport has been pretty clear on that piece.
Air Canada has forever been at the beginning of the E concourse – E1 – E3/E4. United does occasionally use some of the AC gates during IRROPS. I’m pretty sure that AC will continue to claw at those gates as DOA tears down Terminal 2 for the new redesign :P
UA and AC should “common use” the E gates. If its truly just AC using those gates, then that seems inefficient
Kip – It’s not just Air Canada using those gates. They have preferential use, but they let United use them as well when they aren’t using them. Air Canada does run 9 or 10 flights a day, so they do use the gates well, but there is room for more. Today, for example, United has a flight to South Bend from gate E2 and a flight to both Green Bay and Tucson from E3. So it’s not the most amazing utilization possible, but it’s still not terrible.
Personally, I would love to fly out of the floating Auntie Ann’s micro terminal neat T1 :D
Joan,
Is that particular jetway in the shape of a pretzel? That would be really something & smell amazing.
FYI Anne is a real person who was Amish & because of her religious upbringing really wasn’t educated. To make money she started making pretzels & the rest was history.This annual exercise may sound silly since airlines only have 1 quarter of results with the new gates, but keep in mind what the main objective of this exercise is……to keep government workers employed
I can assure you that the government workers who are carrying out this change all have other management duties that they are regularly performing. This is a necessary exercise to ensure that a limited resource is being equitably distributed, otherwise it would be the wild west out there or some other mess.
Government does good and necessary work. It does it in public, where it cannot hide its mistakes or successes. (Or more likely, adequate and unexceptional work.) Companies regularly hide their mistakes, government doesn’t get to do that.
“Government does good and necessary work. It does it in public, where it cannot hide its mistakes…”
I wouldn’t be too sure about that.
Lets be clear, aviation in the United States would not be as prolific, safe, or as inexpensive if it weren’t for government regulation and intervention.
Anyone arguing otherwise, hasn’t looked at the state of the industry
“where it cannot hide its mistakes…”
This is the key point here, Nick. There’s a pretty long history of the government doing exactly this.
And we know about governments attempting to hide their mistakes because of public records and news reporting. Because the records are public, they have to be released.
But going back to my other point, aviation in the United States would not be as prolific, safe, or as inexpensive if it weren’t for government regulation and intervention. This gate rearrangement is part of that regulation and intervention.
(If airports weren’t publicly owned, we’d have a situation where the legacy airlines each owned their own airport, or perhaps shared a few airports, but they wouldn’t let the LCCs in for any reason. As an example, you can look at Branson airport which can give each airline exclusive routes, which means the ability to charge higher fares.)
Cranky – speaking of the “gate linear footage”, I understand AA is converting some Eagle gates on G to mainline (i.e. something like 2 mainline for 3 RJ). How does that factor in? This all makes my head hurt.
Mikey B – Doesn’t factor in at all. That’s why they do it this way. The linear frontage stays the same, so you can configure gates within that frontage however you like but it doesn’t change what you get.
Don’t forget that Spirit is moving its check-in counter from T3 to T2 (where Delta used to be) so who knows where their gates will be once they move. I assume they won’t be in the L concourse once this moves takes place.
MDW:
Southwest has exclusive use of all gates on B-Concourse and most gates on A-Concourse.
A-Concourse also has Common Use Gates. 3-Gates are International Gates used by Porter, Volaris and Southwest. Delta uses A5 & A7, Allegiant uses A12.
C-Concourse’s 3-Gates are all classified as Common Use and used by Frontier. Avelo has used C1. Southwest has also used C-Concourse as overflow when gates are open
MDW must have at leased 9 to 10 Gates which are Common Use per City Ordinance.
Rumor is 12 new gates to be added, 6 on A & 6 on B. Runway 31R is permanently closed and is now Taxiway H and runs close to Concourses A & B.
ORD:
T5/M1 is a Common Use Gate for Commuters
T5/M2-M11 as mentioned all Delta and some Skyteam Airlines. They moved there in October 2022
T5-Rest of Gates are Common Use, including 5 Southwest uses between M28-M40.
*Aer Lingus moved all operations to AA’s T3 H-Concourse for both arrivals/departures due to pre-border clearances.
I’m a bit late in the game here, but there is another upcoming disaster (in terms of passenger handling / comfort)
Spirit is moving their entire ORD operation to the narrowest concourse – the G concourse, and will have 4 or 5 gates there. UA will be across the alley from them, and I can only imagine the ramp congestion.
AA (Eagle) will stay on the other side of the G concourse, including the lower level gates. That still puts a lot of passengers along the same concourse as Spirit. Result – chaos!
So many moving parts – it’s hard to even visualize CF’s point about gate use, common use and preferential gates in this.
I believe Spirit and AA are doing a gate trade. Also since the AT&T Telephone Building was demolished, expect the L-Stinger to receive another few gates.
At ORD, UA is also gate constrained on C-Concourse due to one of the new Satellite’s being constructed. More Temporary Gates coming soon, in other words, long tubes with Jetways and temporary mobile lounges attached. Fun Fun Fun
Effective February 26th……….
Spirit, Denver Air Connection & Southern Airways Express Ticket Counters will be in ORD Terminal 2, joining JetBlue
AA will takeover former Ticket Counters in T3 used by Spirit
Gate relocations are also taking place will be as follows;
NEW GATES:
Spirit gates will be G4, G6, G8 & G10 in T3
Denver Air Connection gate will be G15 in T3
Southern Air Express gate will be E4 in T2
AA will takeover former Spirit gates L2C, L5, L7 & L10C
JetBlue currently uses gate G2 in T3
SOURCE: Chicago Dept of Aviation